The present disclosure relates generally to the field of defensive equipment. The present disclosure relates more specifically to a shield system providing ballistic protection to a user.
Modern warfare has given rise to various attempts to better protect a user from projectiles and other hazards. For example, soldiers, police officers, and other personnel in a combat area may wear body armor. Such body armor may incorporate high strength materials such as Kevlar, steel, or ceramics to absorb the impact of bullets and shrapnel that may wound or even kill the wearer. The level of protection provided by body armor generally depends on the amount of protective material used. For example, the U.S. National Institute of Justice rates body armor based on its ability to stop different types of ammunition. Under this rating system, ratings vary from Type IIA body armor, which is capable of protecting against low-power calibers such as 9 mm Luger rounds, up to Type IV body armor, which is capable of protecting against armor piercing rifle calibers, such as .30-06 Springfield armor piercing rounds.
As the level of protection provided by body armor increases so does the weight of the body armor, since more high strength material is used. In addition, the high strength material used in modern body armor has very little flexibility. As a result, greater protection of a user of body armor comes at the expense of the user's mobility. Thus, a tradeoff is often made in the design of body armor to protect only vital areas of the wearer. For example, the body armor may protect the wearer's torso or groin area, while the wearer's head and limbs are left unprotected to afford greater mobility to the wearer.
Body armor that protects a wearer's torso is only effective when the wearer's torso is exposed to hostile projectiles. For example, a soldier facing enemy fire may have a certain amount of protection while in a standing or kneeling position around his torso. However, his face and limbs may still remain unprotected. In addition, body armor may have minimal to no effect when the wearer is in other body positions, such as when laying in the prone position. The wearer may get into such a position to initiate or return fire (e.g., a sniper may shoot at an enemy target from the prone position). The inventors have discovered that there may be a need for a system that better protects a user when not in an upright position, such as when firing a weapon from the prone position, while still affording the user greater mobility.